Having a ball at Tallow Chandlers’ Hall

The Loving Cup ceremony

Well, maybe not a ball, exactly, but a very fine time was had by all at our January Court Dinner. It was an evening of conviviality, warmth, and fellowship.

Our estimable Clerk and Assistant Clerk saved the day when we had to find an alternative venue at short notice. And what a venue: this early modern historian was in heaven dining in one of the very few surviving seventeenth-century halls in the City. Fun fact: in the mid sixteenth century Tallow Chandlers’ Hall was used as a theatre space where child and adult actors performed to the assembled citizenry.

From the Archive: A Founders’ Dinner at Tallow Chandlers’ Hall, 1932

Back to the present day. The Tallow Chandlers hosted us magnificently in their beautiful hall, all stained glass and wood panelling. Life’s Kitchen dealt with the change of venue with aplomb: the food and drink was superb, as usual. The last time the Founders dined at Dowgate Hill the menu was eye-wateringly lavish, comprising eleven - yes, eleven - courses, accompanied by fine wine, punch, port, brandy, Benedictine and, for some reason, cider. How they managed to get through all this is anyone’s guess. This time around we feasted on chicken terrine, roast beef and a delicious pistachio cream dessert.

We were also delighted to welcome no fewer than seven new members to the Company, three liverymen and four freemen. This wonderful evening must have given them a proper taste of what being a Founder has to offer.